This is SUPER exciting!!!
I am eager to see the proposals, I hope HU releases them soon before choosing the finalist!!
With that this project is landmark for the city and the region for a variety of reasons. The region desperately needs to continue to elevate its higher education offerings/specialities and this 100% does that by creating landmark institutions with a School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy! Huge wins for the region and the University.
It will definitely elevate the vibrancy of downtown as well, the more density, definitely the better.
My big wishes for this project:
1) Residential component included (apartments).
2) Boutique hotel
3) Architecturally interesting/significant
Harrisburg has not had a new high rise in quite some time. Architecturally given the time period of each building and the styles of the period I do not think the city suffers from any truly 'bad' architecture. Even 333 Market, being a product of the 70s, I think manages to handle its brutalist roots of the decade fairly well and has been aging gracefully.
But I really hope that this is a nice modern addition to Harrisburg to really signify where the city is headed starting in the new decade of the 20s!
Allentown has really been hitting it out of the ballpark with new downtown development. Let's hope the quality of architecture can match the 24 story 350 ft Innovation Tower proposed in Allentown. Let me remind you the new HU tower is supposed to be about 100ft taller than this project and 333 Market in Harrisburg!